An Empty Helmet
by Dragon Claw92
Summary: Two years have passed since the events of MMZ 4, but Ciel was never able to let go. For losing heroes leaves a hole behind, one that very few things can fill, and a helmet only really fits the one it belongs to. But an unexpected visitor might just help Ciel feel whole once again.
1. Chapter 1

Two years had passed since Dr. Weil's defeat. Two years since the legendary reploid, Zero, had last been seen. All that had been found of him at the crash site was his helmet, broken and hardly holding together. Most everyone believed he was dead, and after so long without any signs to say otherwise, it seemed to be inevitably true.

Ciel didn't want to accept it. He had done so much for her and everyone else, with little care about his own desires, and now he was just... not there. It felt wrong. Empty. As though the peace they finally had was tainted by a hollow loneliness that nobody could fill. Cerveau had told her it would eventually fade. But it never had. Ciel still felt lonely, still felt as though part of her heart was missing. She had realized by now that some of her happiest moments had been in the midst of the war, purely because Zero had been there.

But he was gone now. She couldn't bring him back. All she had left was his helmet. By now, Cerveau had repaired it for her, but it only comforted her so much. Sometimes when she was alone she would talk to it, pretending the silence was just Zero being his typical, generally quiet self. It had helped at first, though now it made her miss him even more. It made her long to hear his voice again, even just a couple words.

Even just a goodbye.

Ciel shook her head and sighed, looking out the window of her new home and staring longingly towards the horizon and the setting sun. It felt like it had been a lifetime since that fateful day. The day she had discovered his resting place and woke him up. The day everything changed, and the future seemed just a little brighter. Zero had been the ultimate godsend, no matter what he did or where he went. He had always gone above and beyond; a job wasn't just done right, it was as close to perfect as anyone could hope, and more. Again and again, he had pulled off the impossible and was ready for another round.

A sudden knock on her bedroom door drew Ciel from her thoughts, her gaze turning to regard Cerveau as he poked his head in. "Yes?" Ciel asked.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he replied calmly. "but there is someone here to see you. He said he's lost something and thinks you're the only one who can help him find it." The mechanic grimaced. "I tried sending him away, but he refused to leave without seeing you first."

Ciel blinked. This was odd. Normally if someone had lost something, they'd ask someone who was good at finding things, not a scientist. "Did he say what he lost?"

Cerveau shook his head, though he had an odd look in his eyes, as though he knew more than he was actually telling her. "No he didn't. Did you want me to tell him to come back some other time?"

The woman hadn't missed the unusual gleam, and shook her head. "No, send him up here. I may as well deal with this right away so he can go about his life again sooner."

Cerveau nodded and left, closing the door on his way and leaving Ciel to wonder what he hadn't told her. He didn't normally keep secrets from her; what made this situation different? She shook her head a little and looked out the window again. It was an odd time, she thought, for someone to come and see her. Normally someone would have come earlier in the day, not around sunset. Especially if they wanted her to help with something. Even Alouette tended not to ask Ciel for things this late in the day, aside from possibly wanting a bed time story.

"I wonder what they want..."

It probably wasn't that important, she decided. Important things were dealt with during the day, when there was more time to deal with them. This was probably nothing to worry about. Absently, Ciel called 'come in' when she heard a knock on the door, though her gaze remained on the horizon for a moment or two as she listened to the person enter the room. "Cerveau said you wanted me to help you find something?" She asked after a moment of collecting her thoughts.

"Yes, and you are the only person I could think of that could help."

That voice.

That hauntingly familiar voice.

Ciel turned her chair right away, eyes widening slightly as she studied the figure that had entered her room.

He was tall, remarkably so in fact, with deep sapphire eyes and an almost unreadable stoicness in his expression. Blond hair cascaded loosely over his shoulders, long enough to almost reach his waist. Red armor, battered but strong, protected his chest, arms, and legs, from the dangers of the world, with a dark blue bodysuit covering whatever his armor didn't, and white holsters hanging on his thighs, though no weapons could be seen within them. The reploid had a weathered and almost war-torn look about him, though as he spoke again, a smile broke his otherwise unmovable appearance.

"You haven't seen my helmet anywhere, have you?"

"Zero!"

Ciel couldn't help but –clumsily in her rush – launch out of her chair and all but throw herself at him, burying her face in his shoulder as tears welled in her eyes and splashed down her cheeks. Zero laughed softly as he caught her and held her in a close and gentle embrace. "You've been working too hard, as usual." He observed. "Don't you ever take a break?"

Ciel just held on tighter for several seconds, barely believing what was happening but too happy to question it. "You never did..." She finally replied, shaking her head as she leaned back just enough to look up at Zero's face. "Where were you? Everyone thought you were..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the statement.

"Dead?" Zero asked, smirking in light amusement as he stared down at her. "I get that a lot, trust me. I'm sure there were many times X didn't know if he should be upset or just roll his eyes. But that doesn't matter; I'm here now."

Ciel smiled and giggled for a moment, though she hesitated as worry seeped through her happiness. "You aren't going to leave again, are you? What if something bad happens, and you go out to stop it, and-!"

She found herself cut off mid-statement as Zero leaned down and kissed her, smiling afterward as he held her close to his frame once more.

"It's okay Ciel." He assured softly. "I won't ever leave you again."

"I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

A soft gasp and a sharp inhale punctuated the quiet air as Ciel jolted awake, blue eyes wide as – for a few moments – she tried to figure out where she was. The nightmare had been one that haunted her for two years now, and it always held the same grim tale; Zero was always dead in the end. Sometimes it was painless seeming, a gentle and quiet passing where he only seemed sad or even vaguely peaceful. Other times – the more frequent path for her dreams – it was violent and agonizing, full of suffering as Zero's last moments drew nothing but agony over his face. The latest nightmare was one of these, as Ciel envisioned the warrior lying in a half-destroyed heap while Weil's last battle ended and blew up around him. Zero couldn't even try to escape due to his condition, and could only watch in helpless suffering as his final battlefield went up in smoke, plummeting towards a crash that would utterly destroy any obscure hope for survival that Zero had left.

Shivering, the woman's gaze roamed around her room until it landed on the helmet she treasured so much. Had Zero really come back earlier? It had seemed so real, but... surely it was just a dream. A prelude to the nightmare she witnessed. Yes, that had to be it. Zero coming back was just a dream. Just wishful thinking inspired by a lonely and longing heart.

Ciel whimpered and shook her head as her hands shakily gripped her blanket, tears welling up in her eyes and rolling down her face onto her pillow. Zero wasn't really there. He was gone and nothing could change it. She wouldn't see him again.

"Zero..."

"Nrgh..."

Ciel blinked at the sound, as well as the sound and feeling of someone shifting on the bed beside her. This was followed by an arm slowly reaching over and gently hugging her against its owner's frame. "Do you always talk so much in your sleep?" Zero mumbled tiredly, sounding as though he had just woken up. "Because it's been happening on and off all night."

The woman didn't answer at first, instead taking a moment to take hold of his hand and cling to it. She could feel his fingers lightly wrap over hers, his gloves and armor off so he could hold her more comfortably. "I... wasn't dreaming?" She asked softly. "You're actually here?"

"Well you're holding onto me, aren't you?" He replied, sounding mildly amused as well as concerned. "And I'm holding onto you, so I'd say you aren't dreaming." He paused before adding with more concern and no amusement. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yes." She answered after some hesitation. "I... have this one a lot..."

There was a small pause followed by a long and quiet sigh, Zero shifting a bit and holding Ciel a bit closer. "I can guess what you dreamed about." He murmured, lightly pressing his head against hers for a second or two before speaking again. "Ciel, look at me."

She hesitated before rolling over, flushing pink when she found herself staring at his chest. Right away she turned her gaze upward to his face, her gaze quickly finding his eyes. "Y-yes?"

The reploid lightly stroked her cheek with his thumb before responding. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. I won't leave you again, no matter what the nightmares tell you. That old helmet is an empty reminder of the dark times, nothing more and nothing less. It says what happened during the war, but it doesn't show what happened afterward. The helmet is empty because our battle is over; now we have nothing to look forward to but peace and quiet. Okay?"

Ciel slowly nodded as his words settled into her mind and started to ease her troubled thoughts. He was right; the war was over now, and the world was recovering. Victims and veterans alike were helping each other rebuild and restart with fresh beginnings. Perhaps it was time for her to try and do the same. "Zero..." She asked quietly. "Can you keep telling me that? Please?"

The reploid smiled a little as he nodded and lightly pressed his head against hers. "Of course, Ciel. I'm always here to help you, remember? And now there won't be anything to get in the way of that. So..." He smiled a bit more and kissed her forehead. "Try to get some sleep, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

The woman smiled a little in return and nodded, cuddling up close underneath his chin as she closed her eyes. "Okay... and Zero?"

"Yes?"

"Don't let go."


End file.
